Five minutes after the second half of the quarterfinal matchup with Canada, England were down a keeper. Karen Bardsley came down with a mystery eye issue in the early minutes of the second half and motioned for a teammate to come check her out. Steph Houghton came over and almost immediately Bardsley went to the ground. A Trainer came out look at her eye and after a quick evaluation, he motioned for a substitution.
Siobhan Chamberlain replaced Bardsley and will try to keep the surging Canadians under control. It's unclear what was bothering Bardsley's eye, but it was obviously serious enough that upon looking at her eye, the trainer immediately made the call to take her out. Obviously a contact lens issue could be at play, but there's also the possibility the turf played a role.
FIFA has been criticized from Day One for its decision to use turf instead of grass due to player safety concerns posed by the artificial surface. One such concern is the tiny rubber pellets that are embedded in the turf. Jordan Swarthout, a goalie from Washington who has played on the turf, had this to say prior to the start of the tournament:"A lot of practice for goalkeepers was spent doing various drills that involved diving and landing on the turf," she said. "The stuff would go in your mouth and in your gloves. And they would end up in my eyes -- that was always the worst."[HuffPo]
Advertisement